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Dive Review of Kona Aggressor II in
Hawaii/Kona

Kona Aggressor II, Sep, 2002,

by Keith & Ellen Irwin, CA, USA . Report 225.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments This is easy diving with a great crew and superb food and service. The boat is an 87' catamaran with five en-suite cabins off the large salon and a quad cabin on the top deck. All had queen size beds below and a single bunk above. A sink, vacu-flush head (no smells), and a shower are in each stateroom. A/C is controlled by individual thermostats and was quite comfortable.

The food was fabulous. Christine is a graduate of the San Francisco Culinary Academy and Brian came from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Both had wonderful creations but were very willing to adapt to meet individual needs.

You hook up your own gear for the first dive. After that, your tank is immediately refilled after every dive. Fins stay on the dive deck and other gear can go in a locker under your bench. Nitrox is available at $100 for the week.

Water is the warmest this time of year. I dove mostly with a polartec skin but used a 3 mil wetsuit at night. Others dove in a t-shirt and swimsuit. I'd take a wetsuit just in case.

The very competent and friendly staff will leave you alone or go with you on the dive. At least one divemaster is in the water and another on the dive deck. The diving is typically shallow. I never exceeded 65 feet except at Au Au crater where we went to 100 feet to see a Lion Fish. The number of little critters far exceeds Caribbean diving. Also saw lots of eels and a number of turtles. Lots of opportunities for macro photographers. But the bottom is mostly lava formations covered with hard corals. No soft corals and few sponges. Not a lot of color.

With two exceptions, we saw few large critters. At the Maze, we spotted two very large tarpon cruising the drop off. And on the last night we were treated to a spectacular show by four Mantas who cavorted about for over an hour scooping plankton and other small critters attracted by the lights on the boat and the under water video cameras. It was breath taking. Porpoises often followed the boat but we didn't see any while diving.

For a relaxed dive vacation, this is a great option. Those looking for more challenging diving or greater variety of corals and sponges might be disappointed.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Caribbean, Florida
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather cloudy Seas calm, surge, noCurrents
Water Temp 78-81°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 80-120 Ft/ 24-37 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 120 feet and dive with a buddy
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Dedicated dive table and 2 rinse tanks. Onboard processing. Video player on board. Captain Gui is a photo pro and very willing to share his knowledge.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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